Isotope Analysis to Ensure Scotch Beef Provenance

The Foods Standards Agency is to produce a map of isotopic markers by utilising data gathered from the British Beef Origin Project 2007 to 2010, in a bid to improve geographical cattle indexing.

The project has initially set out to map Scotland but the system could be rolled out over the whole of the UK.

A Foods Standards Agency spokesperson said: "This will allow enforcement authorities to blind-test samples of beef to establish if they are from Scotland, England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

“It will also provide a screening test that will act as a useful indicator of potential fraudulent activity and assure consumers that they can be confident in the authenticity of the products they buy.”